


How the Green Eyed monster got Derek Hale's head and heart in sync

by iantosgal



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison Lives, Derek angsting, F/M, Getting Together, M/M, Oneshot, Post-Nogitsune, Tumblr Prompt, kind of a crimbo fic, well christmas is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-01 23:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2791763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iantosgal/pseuds/iantosgal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>But, although he was loath to admit it, Derek was scared. He had had his heart shattered and barely patched back together far too many times to feel at ease with the idea of love. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Because really he knew that's what he felt for Stiles. That overwhelming pull in his chest wasn't just a fondness, a friendship; it was his wolf straining to comfort the young man who held both Derek's heart and that of his inner wolf. It was primal. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yet still Derek's head and his fear won out time and again. </em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	How the Green Eyed monster got Derek Hale's head and heart in sync

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this anon prompt on tumblr: Hey could you please write a sterek fiction using the words. Remote * tinsel * heirloom* i'll let only you drive my car *and tell him to keep his hands to himself stiles. The setting and rating is up to you. It also have to contain an argument* jealousy*possessiveness* i love you and be from Derek point of view. thank you sooo much
> 
> This is just a little thing and, honestly, it's probably not my best work. 
> 
> Anyone that was following my Pack:PI fic will have seen the reason it was put on hiatus and I hope you understand when you see me posting other stories. It took a while and, as I said, I'm not sure this is the best work I've ever written but it was a way for me to ease back into writing. The subject matter of the Pack:PI (e.g the afterlife, death etc) is just too hard a subject matter for me at the moment and I felt I needed something new and fresh. 
> 
> I hope you understand. Thank you x

Derek didn't do Christmas. He hadn't since the fire. 

Laura had tried to set up some kind of Christmas in New York, but it had felt empty and insipid. So she'd created something new. 

No traditional firs tree but instead Laura had come home one year with some kind of wire which she had spent an hour turning into a large tree like structure and had then adorned with giant globe lights. There were no baubles, no fairy lights, no star on the top. Their parents would have laughed at it, called is hipster and pretentious. Derek loved it solely for the fact that it would never had had a place in his family's perfect traditional Christmas. 

For Christmas dinner, they either had Laura's chicken pot pie or Derek did a massive chilli that lasted them at least two days. The only Christmas films they watched were Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Gremlins and Batman Returns. They exchanged gifts and Laura always out did him. Derek never knew what to get her, but Laura always professed to love whatever it was. She even used the perfume he'd got her, even though he was pretty sure she didn't particularly like the scent. 

So, when he returned to the loft and realised there was someone inside, swearing under their breath and generally making a racket, the last thing he expected when he flung open the door with a deafening rattle; was to find Stiles of all people, totally tangled in a mountain of tinsel, sprawled out on his floor in front of a giant Christmas tree. 

“Stiles?”

“Oh, hey Derek,” Stiles said distractedly, hardly looking up as he attempted to extract himself from the increasingly knotted tinsel. 

“What are you doing?” Derek asked, stepping into the loft and dumping the bag of groceries on his couch. 

“It's December the 18th and there is still no decorations in this place,” Stiles said, looking up at him as he continued to tug ineffectively at the tinsel. Derek sighed and crouched in front of him, batting Stiles' hands away and reaching for the knot himself. 

“Ever think there might be a reason for that?” Derek muttered, eyes focused on the tinsel in his hands. 

“I get it, you know?” Stiles said, softly. “Christmas is one of the hardest time of the year when you've lost someone.”

Derek's hands stilled and he looked up into Stiles' deep, brown eyes. He swallowed before giving a small nod and looking back at the tinsel. 

Neither of them spoke again until Stiles was free of the tinsel and back on his feet. Hesitantly, Stiles held out the tinsel to Derek and nodded his head towards the tree. Derek stared at the tinsel like it might bite him at any moment before slowly, reaching out and taking it. He looked at the tree and noticed for the first time that it was almost entirely decorated already. There were giant baubles and small glittery ones, little ornaments of reindeer and robins, proper fairy lights and a shed load of tinsel. He wasn't entirely sure where he was supposed to put the tinsel he still held in his hands because there didn't seem to be any space left. 

“Here,” Stiles said, taking hold of Derek's wrist and guiding it towards the top of the tree. Derek swallowed down a sigh of regret when Stiles' fingers slipped from his skin and gave himself a tiny, imperceptible shake as he wound the tinsel around the tree. 

When they'd first met, Stiles had annoyed the hell out of Derek. Too hyper, too inquisitive, too in your face. The more they went through together the more Derek began to see another side of him. Brave, loyal, intelligent in a way that was a little scary at times, a self-sacrificing streak that Derek recognised all too well, but at the same time an aura of fragility that made Derek want to gather Stiles in his arms and protect him until his last breath. An instinct that had only increased ten fold since the Nogitsune had crept into Stiles' mind and wreaked it's own special brand of hell. 

The fear that had permeated the air around Stiles for so long was only now beginning to dissipate, but Derek knew that under all the false bravado and the assurance that he was fine, Stiles was barely holding on. He recognised the signs and he wished with his entire being that he had the courage to do something about it. He wished he could easily offer Stiles his heart, let him know that there was someone that would do anything for him, that would _die_ for him in a heartbeat; someone that wanted to take every ounce of pain and add it to their already heavy burden, simply so that Stiles could be that carefree, hyper, inquisitive, in your face boy that Derek had met all that time ago. 

But, although he was loath to admit it, Derek was scared. He had had his heart shattered and barely patched back together far too many times to feel at ease with the idea of love. 

Because really he knew that's what he felt for Stiles. That overwhelming pull in his chest wasn't just a fondness, a friendship; it was his wolf straining to comfort the young man who held both Derek's heart and that of his inner wolf. It was primal. 

Yet still Derek's head and his fear won out time and again. 

So he didn't catch Stiles' wrist between his fingers as it drifted away. He didn't grab Stiles' arm and make him stay when he turned to leave. He didn't chase after him and thank him for the tree, for being there, for understanding. 

Instead he let Stiles leave with a tentative smile and far too many unsaid words in the air. 

Stiles was practically out the door when he paused and turned back to Derek. Derek swallowed, thinking for a fleeting moment that maybe Stiles knew everything anyway and he was going to put Derek out of his misery and clear the air between them. 

“Listen, Danny's organised a big Christmas party in the preserve on Saturday. I know you're not a huge fan of parties...”

“I don't mind them as long as they're not being held in my loft without my knowledge,” Derek quipped, with half a smile and a raised eyebrow, ignoring the sinking feeling of disappointment in his stomach. 

“Noted,” Stiles said with a laugh. “So...you'll come.”

He wanted to just say yes. He wanted to ask if Stiles wanted him to come. He desperately wanted to make a joke about it being a date to see how Stiles reacted, to see if he would take the leap and push them forward. 

“I'll think about it,” he said, and hated himself a little. 

But Stiles shot him a little pleased grin.

“See you there,” he said as he closed the door. 

* * * * *

“So, Stiles tells me you're coming to Danny's party tomorrow,” Isaac says from where he's sprawled across Derek's couch like he owns it. 

“I said I'd think about it,” Derek said, shoving Isaac's feet off the leather and taking a seat. 

“You're coming,” Isaac said, grinning slyly at Derek as he sat up. 

“Oh, I am, am I?” Derek said, raising what he hoped was still a threatening eyebrow, although he was sure Isaac was the one member of the pack that was most likely to see through it all. 

“Well, Lydia is under the impression you're coming. So you either come of your own accord or you face the humiliation of being dragged their kicking and screaming.”

“Fine, so I'm coming,” Derek huffed, eyes glinting a little and lips quirking at the corners, when Isaac began to chuckle. He sobered quickly though. “Are we sure it's a good idea to be heading out to the preserve for a party? We know the sort of things that could be lurking out there.”

“Come on, Derek,” Isaac groaned. “Things have actually been quiet for a few weeks. Don't start getting all worked up about non-existent threats. Can't we enjoy this peace and quiet for a bit?”

“I just...I dunno,” Derek said. He was never particularly good with words, but this was a new low even for him. He knew what he really wanted to say but putting it into words wasn't really happening. “I...”

“Derek, what is it?” Isaac asked, looking suddenly alert. “Is there something we should know about?”

“What? No, no,” Derek said, quickly. “No, everything's fine. It's just that...look, are we sure a party is really the best thing for...some of us right now?”

“You mean Stiles?”

“Yes. No. I...”

“Derek, I get it. We all get it,” Isaac said, voice soft and serious. “What he went through, it's not over. It's never going to really go away, but we gotta let him do this his way. It's just a party and we'll all be there. Do you really think Scott would be so cool with it all if he thought Stiles couldn't handle a party?”

“No,” Derek sighed. 

“Exactly. Look, it's gonna be fun. Give us a chance to let out hair down, relax...”

 _Be teenagers_ went unsaid but hung heavy in the air and Derek felt a pang of guilt. 

But Derek deserved to have some fun too. He hadn't had a lot of that lately. Hell, he couldn't remember the last time he truly had a good time. 

_Fuck it_.

“What time does it start?”

Isaac grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. 

“I'll pick you up at eight,” he said with a wink. 

* * * * *

Derek wasn't entirely sure how Danny Mahealani had managed to put together such an amazing party in one of the most remote areas of the preserve without someone finding out about it but he had to admit he was impressed. 

There was a massive stage with a DJ, lights in all the trees surrounding the clearing, a seating area, a massive dance space and alcohol _everywhere_.

He'd arrived about nine, declining Isaac's offer to escort him over and had found the rest of his pack almost immediately. To start with they had all been together but over the last couple of hours they had slowly drifted apart. 

Derek found himself sitting alone nursing a beer and feeling distinctly out of place. He was easily the oldest one there and a few of the teenagers had given him slightly alarmed looks as they went past. It had been ok when he was with all the others but now, sat alone, he looked odd. 

He could see Scott and Kira dancing near by, Allison and Isaac had disappeared a while ago to get drinks and were mysteriously yet to reappear and Lydia was sitting with a boy Derek didn't recognise who looked like he couldn't believe his luck. Malia had sloped off amongst the trees, but Derek could sense that she wasn't too far away and he didn't think he really needed to worry about her anyway. She was probably more of a threat at the party than she was running around the woods. 

The only person who's whereabouts were a mystery to Derek was Stiles. He'd been fairly tipsy the last time Derek had seen him and just before Scott and Kira had descended on the dance floor, Stiles had stood without a word and danced his way into the crowd. Derek could only hope that Scott had eyes on him somewhere because as much as he had wanted to follow Stiles, part of him still didn't feel like it was his place. 

He gave it as long as he could before the itch under his skin drove him to ignore that part of him and seek Stiles out. He pushed his way through the throng of bodies, eyes searching the crowd, trying to sift through the multitude of smells to get to that familiar scent that was Stiles and pack intertwined. 

When he finally found him, he felt like he'd been punched in the gut and he couldn't stop the growl that rippled through him. 

Stiles was dancing with Danny, arms wrapped around each other in an entirely non platonic way, bodies pressed together until there wasn't a breath of space between them. As Derek watched, their lips met in a searing kiss and Danny's hands drifted lower until they were pressed firmly into the small of Stiles' back, pushing him as close as possible. 

Before he knew what he was doing, Derek had shoved his way through to them and jerked Danny roughly away from Stiles, sending the boy staggering backwards. 

“What the hell?” Danny yelped. 

“Derek, what are you doing?” Stiles shouted, appearing in his eye line, putting a hand on Derek's chest in an attempt to keep him away from Danny. 

“You stay away from him,” Derek snarled, jabbing a finger at Danny. He didn't miss the way Stiles' eyes widened in warning. 

“Are you two...?” Danny asked. 

“What? No!” Stiles said, spinning to face Danny, palm still a patch of searing heat on Derek's chest. “You think I would be kissing you if I was with someone else? You think I'm that much of an asshole?”

“No! Stiles, that's not what I...”

“Tell him to keep his hands to himself, Stiles,” Derek growled. 

“You shut up,” Stiles snapped, turning back to Derek. “What the fuck is your problem anyway?”

“He was all over you.”

“In case you didn't notice, I was all over him too,” Stiles said. 

“Look, Stiles, whatever this is, I don't want to get in the middle of it,” Danny said, taking a step away. 

“Danny, wait,” Stiles said. 

“Let him go,” Derek said and fixed Danny with a hard glare until the teen turned and hurried away. 

“What the actual fuck!?” Stiles exploded. 

“Stiles...”

“Fuck you,” Stiles said, pushing Derek hard and before striding away angrily through the crowd. 

“Shit,” Derek breathed, quickly chasing after him. 

By the time he had made it through the mass of dancing teenagers, Stiles was almost at the Jeep and Derek broke into a flat out run, grabbing Stiles wrist and spinning him round, wrenching the keys from his hand. 

“You're seriously going to drive? After everything you've had to drink?”

“I'm fine,” Stiles argued. 

“Oh yeah, I'm sure you're dad would see it that way,” Derek said, angrily. “When you were being booked for a DUI.”

Stiles turned away from Derek and ran a hand roughly through his hair. 

“What the hell is your problem, man?” Stiles demanded. 

“I'm supposed to feel bad about protecting you? A member of my pack?”

“I'm not a member of your pack.”

“What? Of course you are.”

“Even if I am, I don't need protecting!” Stiles roared. “Especially not from Danny.”

Derek looked at the ground, feeling a little abashed. It was true, Danny was a good guy, harmless, but he'd had his hands all over Stiles and the sight of someone else touching Stiles, caressing his skin, kissing his lips; had caused a surge of possessive jealousy to thunder through Derek. And suddenly he realised that if he didn't do something soon, if he didn't tell Stiles how he felt and show him he was there for him by helping him through the aftermath of having his mind ripped apart and played with; he could lose Stiles forever. 

For the first time in what felt like forever, Derek's heart finally overruled his head and he crowded Stiles against the Jeep, hands finding slender hips as he tilted his head to one side and slotted their mouths together, swallowing the startled noise that Stiles let slip and kissing him as though his life depended on it. 

Derek smiled into the kiss as he felt Stiles respond immediately. Strong but lean arms wound around Derek's neck, one hand instantly threading into his hair as Stiles kissed him passionately. 

When the kiss broke Stiles looked up at him with questioning eyes. 

“I'm sorry,” Derek said, making no move to step back out of Stiles' personal space. “I'm sorry.”

“Ok,” Stiles said, softly. 

“I'm sorry,” Derek repeated, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Stiles'.

“Derek...what are you sorry for?” Stiles whispered, hand moving to cup Derek's cheek. 

“I should have saved you. I should have been there after everything. I should have manned up and told you how I felt.”

“How do you feel?”

“I love you.”

The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them and his eyes flew open, heart thudding in his chest. For a second Stiles looked stunned, then his eyes softened as he smiled. 

“Well, that's good to know. Pretty sure I've loved you since way before all the Nogistune shit.”

“I've loved you since you held me up in that pool for two hours,” Derek chuckled. 

“We're hopeless, aren't we?”

“Yeah,” Derek agreed. 

“We should...talk. About all this,” Stiles said, motioning between them. 

“Yeah.”

“But not now,” Stiles said, shaking his head. 

“No,” Derek said, smiling. 

“Is that it? Have I reduced you to one word answers with one kiss?”

“No,” Derek said, smiling even harder when Stiles let out a bark of laughter. 

He hesitated for a fraction of a second before he remembered he could probably kiss Stiles again if he wanted. He leant forward and pressed their lips together again, letting it develop from sweet and tender into passionate and needy. 

When they pulled apart, Derek rested his forehead against Stiles' again and realised he felt lighter than he had in years. 

“Derek?” Stiles said, voice so quiet Derek was sure he wouldn't have heard him if it wasn't for his superior hearing. He hummed in response to let Stiles know he was listening. “For the record, you're saving me now.”

Derek opened his eyes and searched Stiles eyes for a few moments. After a few moments, he brought one of Stiles' hands up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to his palm. 

“Do you wanna get out of here?” Derek asked. Stiles waggled his eyebrows and Derek rolled his eyes in return. “I mean, do you want me to take you home. To your home.”

“Would you be staying?”

“No,” Derek said. “You've been drinking.”

“I'm not drunk,” Stiles protested. 

“Stiles, nothing is happening when you've been drinking. Regardless of how drunk you may or may not be.”

“So when I'm sober...?”

“Well, then we'll see,” Derek said, quirking an eyebrow and delighting in the little moan Stiles made.

“God, you...I hate you,” Stiles whined. 

“No you don't.”

“Fine, I don't.”

“So, am I taking you home?”

“No. You're going to come and dance with me. You can drive me home later.”

“You're actually going to let me drive your car?” Derek said, with a teasing smile. “I thought it was like a sacred heirloom that only the Stilinski family was allowed to drive.”

“If it makes you feel any better I'll let only you drive my car from now on,” Stiles said. “The list of permitted drivers will just be you and me.”

“Just you and me, huh?” Derek said, warmth building in his chest. 

“Yeah, just you and me,” Stiles said, with a smile.


End file.
